Painting with Marbles

I got the hankering to do some crafting with my kids the other day. We have been at the park, the pool, and up in the mountains so much this summer that crafting has taken a back seat. In my house marble runs are a huge hit and so you will find marbles everywhere. On the stairs, in the washer, in the bath tubs, the floors you name it we got lots of marbles. I decided to put those marbles to good use and create a fun craft by painting with marbles.

A Fun and Messy Fine Motor Craft

Supply List:

Bowls, cups, or a muffin tin like I used

Cookie tray

Paper

Paint various colors

Marbles

Paper towels to wipe off the hands

Drop cloth of some sort

I got my small muffin tin and poured in about eight different colors of paint. We then put a marble in each tin and rolled it around with our fingers. Once the marbles were covered in paint we put them on the cookie tray that had the paper laid on it. We rolled the marbles back and forth until they needed more paint and then we would reapply paint and do it all over again.

This was a lot of fun and our art turned out really cool, but I am not sure what I was thinking. I did this craft in a very small confined space, on the floor, and by the time we were done most of my kids were covered in paint by the end of it. My youngest even had to be stripped down and put into the shower because of all the paint on her legs.

One of our new kittens even got into the paint and left cute little paw prints all over the floor. Thankfully the flooring was laminate and wiped right up, but boy talk about messy.

My kids and I enjoyed it, I had fun even with the mess that made and already have the art taped up on the walls.

This brings back memories! I loved doing this as a kid, I don’t remember the messes though. I also liked painting with quite thinned pained and then blowing the drops with a straw, or painting a thread of wool and then put it between paper, into a heavy book, then pull it out. Playing with paint is fun!

I remember YEARS ago, when I was young, a friend of my grandmothers’ showed me how to make beautiful “cracked” marbles. It is a craft for older kids, say, 12+, but it is fun!
You take the prettiest marbles, and heat up the burner on a coil-type stove. Place the marble on it, and just roll it around with a long wooden or stainless steel utensil, for a few minutes until it is pretty hot. then, carefully put it in a bowl (preferably stainless steel, not glass, or plastic) of ice. Voila!!!
Cracked marbles.
The longer you roll it on the heat, the more cracked it gets, but it can sometimes shatter if done for too long.
We should have worn protective eyewear, but then, in the early ’60’s, no one really thought about that stuff…
Painting with marbles looks to be a fun craft!

That sounds like a really cool idea and yeah I could see how wearing protective gear would be smarter. Yeah my kids would probably burn themselves bad on the stove if I tried this. It was a lot of fun I will do it again, but outside or on a table and use spoons to get the marbles out of the paint so it is less messy.

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My name is Amee, and welcome to Inspired Housewife. Through my life challenges of anxiety, depression, childhood abuse, and marriage, I strive for empowering women to find their happy. I envision an empowered woman who overcame her past and present challenges to find her inner beauty, happiness, love, and peace. Read More…

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